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Doctors who do I believe?

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Rheumatoid Arthritis
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Posted 9/21/2005 5:23 PM (GMT 0)
cool  

Which doctor is telling me the truth? I have been to ten different doctors. I think I could have believed three. My left leg started hurting at age 43, I am now 45. I take Hydrocodone/acetaminophen, when I wake up in the morning that is if I got much sleep, I can barely get out of bed. Most of the time: I stay layed down take a pill wait 30 minutes take another then 15 minutes I can finally get out of bed. I do what the doctor tells me stretch and then walk a mile. “I know Say I’m lucky to move that well”. I never took medication most of my life maybe an aspirin, hay fever pill. I was a runner for years and pain was no problem, as a mechanic I would smash my finger and shake it off, back to work no time to sit. I do not much care for their medication but when I do not take it, I end up in bed for long periods. My son who is must think I am a woozy. So I go back on the med’s thinking they are wining this war. My doctor also proscribed me diazepam and said do not think your crazy mike; it helps some people with osteoarthritis pain. It does com me down. Maybe a little about me help, Male, 45, exercised god from age 14 until a few years ago, running 10k’s was as if a walk is today. Married 28 years, completed college, and a normal day were 10-12 hours. 5”8, 150-160 lbs, I move up and down. I have seven siblings however, they are hard workers they did not work out the way I did.   1. One sports doctor my hips look like a person who weighed 300lbs and would need new hips with in three years. He gave me shots in my hip, Felt like a 20yo for 120 hrs, and then back to the pain. 2. Another doctor said I had degintive spinal problems, upper C-2-3-4-5 and lower he gave Vioxx, and it made sick at my stomach! 3. One doctor feed me pills. 4. One doctor sent me for a second opinion and the second agreed with the first, I needed to stay in bed. In addition, said I was hard headed and that is why I do not get better.   5. One sent me a letter and said he could no longer have me as a patient. I did not concern my self with this one as he had been let go by a local hospital for not updating his charts. And his way of dealing with me was to push more pills. 6. One doctor told me to do herbs! 7. one doctor said he seen nothing wrong, O but he had X-rayed my right hip instead of the left where the pain started! 8. I cannot remember the rest right now, but the one I am going to now does not say much, and when I ask his nurse when I could expect to get away from the meds, she said “Never” I do use a TENS unit, which the doc said would grow new nerve ending if I understood him correctly.   Both legs and my arms go numb some times one doctor tells me this is the problem one denies it! I do have fair to good insurance tri-care/champus. Is this problem for life or should I have never went to a doctor, my dad is a bricklayer and has seen a doctor very little in his life, he also has very few medical problems.  I forgot one  doc told I didn’t appear to be a drug addict! That was good to hear, 

Any advice on who to contact, I kinda think like “Jimmy Buffet“ I don’t I will let any of them operate on me.  

 

Post Edited By Moderator (Flopsie) : 9/21/2005 9:39:14 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/22/2005 3:00 AM (GMT 0)

Hello Mike,

Welcome to HW. You have come to the right place, this is a great bunch of peeps here. We learn so much from each other, have someone to vent to when we need it, support each other the best we can. I think you get the picture.

So, the best I can tell you have osteoarthritis. Welcome to the club, I have it too in all major joints, recently had a morphine pump implanted because oral meds could not address all of the pain that is in places all over.

First thing I would do is get a copy of all medical records from all these drs you have seen and are continuing to see. Be sure to get the written reports of all x-rays that you have had done. More and more it is becoming a necessity to keep a copy of our medical records for our use. I think if you read your x-ray reports you can be better informed of what is really going on with you. I see you have had either a CT or MRI of your neck which showed some problems. If you have a pinched nerve in your neck, it will cause pain, tingling and numbness in your hand, along with arm pain. This should be investigated further. Have you had an MRI of the lumbar spine? If not, get your dr to do one, along with MRI's of the hips. MRI's are much more definetive than a CT Scan.

You say your dr you see now does not say much of anything on your visits. Thats no good, you need communication as to what the prognosis will be and what are all of your options here. Its fine that your pain meds are working now, but as with any medication taken over a period of time, it loses its effectiveness due to becoming tolerant to it.

I would highly consider seeing a good pain mgt dr. There are so many things these guys can do for pain that our PCP's and orthopedics can't do and won't do. I have been under the care of mine going on 2 yrs and this guy understands pain, and he does not believe you must learn to live with pain. They are not miracles workers and make all the pain go away, but they can sure give a person a better quality of life and have the person up and being mobile. Perhaps your dr will be willing to refer you to a good pain mgt dr.its sure worth asking him to do so.

Again, I want to stress the importance of obtaining a copy of all your medical records, including all written reports of your x-rays. If you can get into a pain mgt dr he will also need a copy of your records to see what has and has not been done for you.

I do hope you will hang out with us here and keep us posted on how things are going.    Susie

Posted 9/22/2005 3:40 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Mike,
Just wanted to welcome you and say ditto to all straydog had to say. Good advice,

flopsie
Posted 9/22/2005 5:01 AM (GMT 0)
confused  

I already made the mistake of not requesting a copy of each hand written report or when I was in the doctor’s report. Dr Edge when I requested a report or medical records from Mid-west orthopedics in Joplin Missouri. Charged me for my records and said I was trying to heal my self and not doing what he said. He told me in October to start walking with out a wheel chair or walker and progress to a normal walk. When I showed up a few weeks later in teeny shoes, without a wheel chair, he chewed and stated that I was taking my health in my own hands. I’m sorry he told me to do that and don’t understand why two weeks before he told me to basically get off my butt and recover. This Doctor place in my medical records that I was not following his instructions. I am so afraid to complain to my doctor now about my pain that he will cut me off my meds, at least now I can move 4-5 hours a day with out pain! The rest of the day I wish: well you know the feeling or you would not be at this site. This Dr. Edge was the one who had his associate Dr. Page say every thing was going fine. To cover his ass I’m sure. I’m not interested in law suites. I want to walk and get out of bed with out pills; I want to be able to go to work again. Don’t get me wrong me and the wife make it, I have retired once already from one job. Don’t know what I would do with out that money!  Is there a doctor in the Midwest that can be trusted?

Posted 5/29/2008 2:32 AM (GMT 0)
I am very new at this costochondritis thing.

I did NOT have this suddenly appear out of nowhere it came on rather gradually.

I am 64yrs old and until the last couple of months I weight trained 4/5 days a week. I have worked out for many years and thought I was in relativly good shape. Since the costo appeared a couple of months ago I have not had a decent workout at all. The pain is just two much!

My doctor is away so I have been seeing the sub at his office. She is a very nice lady but the meds she prescribed just dont work. She gave me ibuprofin at first (That did not work at all) Then she prescribed arthrotec and tylenol. they apear to work for a couple of hours then the pain returns confused

I should mention that the main problem is lack of sleep. I get to sleep okay after taking my meds, but then I wake up in the wee hours and cannot get comfortable enough to return to sleep!

This whole situation is frustrating, all I want is to get back to a normal lifestyle (Pain free)

I had never even heard of this illness until I got it Surely to God there is someone out there who has researched this problem and has the answers.

I'm at the stage when any help would be greatly appreciated.

Just venting my frustrations.Thanks

John Young

[email protected]

Post Edited (sosotenor) : 5/28/2008 8:45:21 PM (GMT-6)

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